An Unspoken Bond
by Ninnaras
Summary: An Unspoken Bond. That was what they had she decided. That was why one of the most powerful Death Eaters in Voldemort's inner circle was lying in her arms sleeping like a child.
1. Chapter 1

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**Feedback: Is always welcomed, helps me know what I'm doing wrong.**

**Now, enjoy: An Unspoken Bond**

An Unspoken Bond. That was what they had she decided. That was why one of the most powerful Death Eaters in Voldemort's inner circle was lying in her arms sleeping like a child. That was why she was holding him like he was the most precious thing in the world to her. Why she hadn't turned him over to the Order, just as he hadn't let the Death Eater's take her when he had the chance. Even though barely a word had passed between them that wasn't full of hate she could feel it. An almost tangable thing that filled the air and silence around them. She didn't love him, she didn't even think she liked him, but she protected him. She had protected him from the Order, the Death Eaters and most of all she protected him from the nightmares. The nightmares that, over the years, had him clinging to her, sobbing and moaning for succour. And she had given it. That was probably why they were in the position they were in now she mused.

He shuddered in her arms and pressed his face deeper into the crook of her neck. Her hand automatically came up to stroke his hair even as she whispered soothing non-sense into his ear. He settled again, holding onto her so tightly she knew she couldn't have moved away if she tried, not that she wanted to. She gazed down at the beautiful face, the closed eyes that she knew were the colour of ice, the pale thin lips, the softest skin she had ever felt. Who would have ever thought that she, Hermione Granger, bookwormy and bushy haired would be the one to give comfort to one of the most hunted Death Eaters of all time. Well things had a habit of never going the way she planned.

It had started in the middle of their 6th year. She had been hurrying back to her room, a secret place she had found last year that gave her a quiet place to study, it wasn't to far from her common room so she could sneak back in the morning, trying to avoid Filch after sneaking into the Libary to do some research on the Half Blood Prince. She was almost there when a noise stopped her in her tracks. It sounded like someone crying. It was coming from an unused classroom a little furthur up the corrider. Carefully she made her way to the door and peered in. The moonlight dimly lit up the figure huddled in the corner. Whoever it was was sobbing harshly she could see from the violent shaking of their shoulders and the whimpers of pain that came to her ears. Her compassionate nature came to the fore and she softly made her way to the person, who seemed not to realise she was there, before kneeling in front of them and placing her hand gently on their arm which was flung up to cover their face. Instantly she saw there was blood on the robe and when she looked up to the person's eyes she almost gasped in shock. Looking back at her were the ice grey eyes of none other than Draco Malfoy. He gave a low moan and whispered, "Leave".

She barely heard him, her keen eyes searchig the darkness and finding more blood and many, many gashes in his robe. Gazing into his eyes again she murmered, "No, not unless you let me help you" moving her hands over the the rents in her uniform she could tell he had been seriously hurt.

"You can't help me," he said harshly, biting back painful moans. He closed his eyes but she could still see the tears that leaked from under them.

"Mal...," she cut herself off mid-sentence, "Draco, I'll help you" she said, softly, gently. Brushing bloodied hair away from his face whilst her mind screamed at her, what was she doing, he's the enemy. She quickly silenced those thoughts. Malfoy or not he needed help. His eyes snapped open at the gentle use of his name, studying her for a moment before he nodded his head.

She had somehow managed to get him into her special place. Over tha course of last year she had collected an odd assortment of furniture, helped of course by the house-elves, including a large bed because she kept falling asleep while studying. Helping him onto the bed she started to strip him of his robes so she could try and heal some of the vicious slashes in his skin. Somehow she got the feeling he would not want to be taken to Madam Pomfrey. His hand came up to stop her taking his shirt off and he shook his head, although she could see the movement caused him pain.

"Draco please, I need to treat these quickly or you'll lose too much blood for me to help." she pleaded with him. Again her only response was nod. Quickly she undid the buttons and this time could not hide a gasp of horror. His whole torso and back was covered in what looked like whip marks. Worse off all she could see some of these wounds were not knew and had to have been aquired over many months. His head rested on her shoulder as she sadly whispered,"Oh Draco, what have they done to you." She had done her best to be gentle as she cast spells that would heal the wounds and stop the bleeding before lying him down in her bed. She cast a spell that she hoped would make him sleep before bursting into tears at the havoc that had been wrought upon him. In her mind no-one not even Malfoy should be treated as he obviously had. She moved a chair to the side of the bed to keep a vigil on him and after a time she too drifted off.

She was woken by his screams. Moving quickly onto the bed she tried to wake him, terrified he would undo all she had done to him. His screams were full of terror and they were putting the fear of God into her as well. Finally he awoke, sitting bolt upright in the bed and he sobbed. She had never know someone could cry so bitterly and she reached out to comfort him. Pulling him into her arms she allowed him to bury his face in her neck softly and stroked his back trying to soothe him. He clung to her and it was it pleading that tore into her heart and ripped it out.

"Plaese don't leave me, please I'll do anything, just don't leave, don't leave me alone, please," he begged.

She had murmmered,"Shh, it's alright, I wont leave, shhh" softly rubbing circles on his back tryin to calm him and prevent him seeing the tears that rolled down her own face. And that had been the start.

That pattern had made up the rest of her sixth year, until it got to the point he was sleeping in with her most nights out of a week. Oh it never changed during the day, they still spat insults at each other like they were expected to. But at night he would seek the comfort of her arms as he told her of the beatings and many other things that had been done to him. Never had he told her of what his mission was, she found that out from Harry. Dumbledore was gone, not by Draco's hand but by Snape's.

She didn't see him for six months after that. No doubt he was training as a Death Eater just as the whole of what would have been the seventh year of Hogwarts pupils trained with the Aurors' for war. One night he had appeared at her parents house when she had three days leave from training. She didn't ask anything, how he got here, how he even knew where her house was. She simply opened her arms and he had walked into them and that was the beginning of the pattern that happened during the next six months of training whenever she was home. He would not look at her when he arrived for the first time with the Dark Mark emblazened on his arm. She had run her hands over it once, then dismissed completely from her mind.

When the war started in earnest the only time they saw each other was in the kidst of battle. Curses flying and people dying, with the occansional glance of each other through the blood and smoke haze. Of course she made sure to avoid him and he her during all their battle together, which wasn't many. They were both high enough up in their respective armies to be able to choose their own battles. So the war had gone on for a long year with many dead on both sides. She had lost her parents, and Bill Weasley was gone. Fleur had gone into a mad rage after Bill's death and apparated to the middle of a known Death Eater spot and gone down heroicly, taking down as many as she could in a sucide attack. Mrs Weasly had finally accepted that Fleur loved Bill more than anything else. George Weasly, Katie Bell and Seamus Finnigan were lost on a surprise attack on headquarters. Many more were either dead or lying wounded in the field hospitals. She herself had been seriously wounded more than once.

It had been a large battle that bloody day. She had been hit by a bone breaker curse and was lying on the ground praying for someone from her side to find her before someone from their side did. It was the routine after a battle to go throught the dead looking for any that were left alive and trying to save as many of your own before the Death Eaters appeared trying to do the same thing. She caught a glimpse of a black hooded figure out of the corner of her eyes and knew it was the end for her. She only hoped it was quick. She laughed painfully to herself, of course it wouldn't be quick, these were the bloody Death Eaters she was talking about here. Unfortunatly her small laugh had caught the attention of said Death Eater. She glared as the figure approached. To her surprise the figure bent down beside her, what was he going to do? Snap her neck? She couldn't help the moan of pain that escaped her and the man - she could tell from the build - picked her up and clasped her gently to his chest before moving towards her side of the lines. Wait, her side of the lines? She was still wondering why she wasn;t dead yet when he put her down as gently as he had picked her up and began to tend her wounds. Comprehension hit her like the proverbial brick. "Draco," she breathed.

He pulled his hood back and she saw her guess had been correct. His short blond hair was matted with blood and his face was covered with dirt and grime but it was him. He had his wand over her and was muttering some pain relieving spells over her broken bones. Once he finished he pulled he up softly so she could lean against his chest. They sat in silence for a about an hour before he looked up as though he was listening to something." You will be safe now." he said to her as he cradled her closer for a minute before laying her on the ground and dissapparating with a pop. A few minutes later she could her the cries of Mediwitches from her camp as they rushed to her side and carted her back to behind the lines. That was the last she saw of him until now.

They had been meeting up for the past week. She was in London recuperating and he was doing reconissance. They never asked anything about each other's side. It was an unwritten rule they had. Strange she thought, how they always seemed to find each other in the midst of things. He stirred again in her arms and she whispered softly in his ear, "Go back to sleep, Draco", before drawing back to gaze into his sleep-glazed eyes. He smiled at her and pulled her even closer so their foreheads were touching. She stroked his blond hair until he drifted back to sleep. She really should turn him over to the Order. Yes, she should, it wasn't right her constantly meeting up with him like this. It was betrayal of the deepest kind. Even as she fell into the land of dreams herself she knew she never would hand him in. They had an Unspoken Bond.


	2. Chapter 2

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**This is Draco's P.O.V of their bond.**

**Chapter 2**

An Unspoken Bond. That was what they had he decided. That was the only reason she knew instinctivly how to calm him as him woke from yet another nightmare. Shuddering he buried his face deeper into her neck, seeking the solace only she could provide. He snickered scathingly to himself. Here he was, one of the most glorified Death Eaters in Voldemort's inner circle, clinging to a Mudblood like a frightened child. Maybe he was. Maybe the repressed side of him that was still, in a sense, innocent could only emerge with her. Maybe that was why he came running to her whenever he knew where she was. Seeking her protection from the nightmares that damn near drove him mad. "People only have nightmares when they do things they are ashamed of" she had said to him once. Well he had done a hell of a lot of things that would make lesser people shy away, things so horrible and wicked he had never told even her; she who he told everything.

He should have her killed. Should take her back to his master who would no doubt reward him beyond any other of his followers. He would be uplifted to the highest status of power if he brought in Potter's best friend. But he couldn't, he just couldn't and he knew he never would. Just as she would never turn him over to the Order. Who then would he go to for sanctuary when night terrors kept him awake for weeks on end. Who would help him when he lived on extremely strong Pepper-Up potions because he was too scared to sleep. If Voldemort ever found out where he had been disappearing to all these years he would have him tortured and killed. What a tangled web we have woven Hermione, he thought. Then he allowed sleep to claim him as he dreamt of how it had begun.

Pain, terrible excurciating pain was all he could feel. That Zambini bastard had done a fine job of reminding him what happened to those who failed the Dark Lord. He had collapsed in the corner of an abandoned classroom, simply unable to go any furthur. He was disgusted with himself as he felt tears well up in his eyes. Malfoys never cry, that was what his father had told him. No matter what Malfoys never cry, it is a sign of weakness and Malfoys are not weak. However even he, the infamous Ice Prince, couldn't stop harsh sobs escaping him. He rested his face on his arms and curled up as small as he could. He felt the blood seeping through his robes but didn't have the strength to do anything about it. So he just wept out all his pain and sorrow as his body wept the precious blood from his veins. Maybe it would be better if he just died here tonight. Then he wouldn't have to worry about fixing that cabinet or killing Dumbeldore or any of the other things that were making his life hell. So wrapped up in his misery he never heard anyone approach until they laid their hand on his arm.

He snapped his head up and tried to ignore the pain this caused. He was looking into the eyes of none other than Granger; Harry Potter's sidekick and bane of his grades at school. Her deep brown eyes were looking at him with something akin to compassion. Wait a minute, compassion, for him. The last thing he needed was for her to pretend to be all nice then go running to the other two parts of the trio and tell them how she found the Ice Prince sobbing in a classroom. "Leave" he whispered, unable to bite back a low moan of pain.

"No, not unless you let me help you," she replied moving her hands over the the rents in his uniform. Even her light touch was making his wounds flame up in agony.

"You can't help me," hesaid harshly, biting back painful moans. He closed his eyes but he could still feel the tears that leaked from under them, and he knew see could see them too. Why wouldn't she just leave him to his misery?

"Mal...," she cut herself off mid-sentence as though considering something, "Draco, I'll help you" she said softly as she stroked his bloodied hair from his face. His eyes snapped open. He had never in my life heard his name spoken like that. He had heard it yelled in anger, spat out in distaste and whispered in awe; but never spoken so gently and with such caring in it. Her hands moved softly, careful to not aggravate any of the cuts on his body as she checked them. He wanted to hear it again, he nodded his head.

Somehow she managed to help him to a room that he had never seen before, which he later found out was hers for studying. He sat on the bed as she began to strip his robes from his bloodied body. As she reached his shirt he grasped her wrist with his hand. No-one should have to see the mess that lay beneath.

"Draco please, I need to treat these quickly or you'll lose too much blood for me to help." she pleaded with him. Again there was his name, it was the thing he came to need most from her; the way his name never seemed a curse from her lips as it did from everyone elses. He could only force out another nod, talking was far beyond him at this point. She looked in horror at the mass of blood and skin below his shirt. "Oh Draco, what have they done to you?" she whispered sadly. Even though she was being gentle it still hurt badly. He grit his teeth and let her tend to him before she cast a sleeping spell on him and he was plunged into darkness.

He was in hell, everywhere he turned people were dying and screaming. He could hear all the mocking voices of the Death Eaters as he was tortured. Felt every sting as the whip came down again and again and he tried not to beg. He screamed as they began to cast Crucio on him, screamed and begged them to stop but their laughter only increased as the pain worsened. Please. let me die, he thought, let me die. Then he was aware of another voice in the darkness. Calling for him. Jerking upright he woke up with a scream of terror.

He was pulled into soft warm arms and he drew the only source of comfort he had closer to him. He never wanted those arms to leave him. "Please don't leave me, please I'll do anything, just don't leave, don't leave me alone, please," he begged. He was desperate as he sobbed into her shoulder. If she left him now he would just lay down and die, he could not go on like this.

She murmered,"Shh, it's alright, I wont leave, shhh" as she softly rubbed circles on his back trying to calm him. He had found solace in her arms then and he still found it there now, just as he had through all the troubles.

For the rest of sixth year she had let him sleep with her most nights. The nights she was away or unable to hold him he couldn't sleep. He was too terrified of what he might see. She had been his saviour. She had listened to him as he poured out tales of his loveless childhood, she had held him through the long nights. And he had betrayed her. He had ran with Snape after he failed in his mission. He was sure she would hate him forever now.

A stroke of luck had given him the address of her house six months later. He agonised over whether to go to her. He was a Death Eater in training, what if she turned him in? In the end he had to go. The Dark Lord was not pleased with his progress, which mainly stemmed from lack of sleep. He went on a night he knew she would been on leave from training. She had simply opened her arms and he had walked into them and held her close. Even when he recieved the Dark Mark, when he thought this must surely be the end of their strange relationship she had not turned him away. He owed her his sanity.

During the war he made sure to stay as far away from her as possible. He knew he would never kill her, it would be like killing himself. He had risen through the ranks, as had she, so they were able to choose their own battles. He always posted himself somewhere he knew she was not. Until the day where he had found her lying as if dead on the ground.

It had been a major battle that day, many from both side were lost. He was searching through the dead to see if there were any that could be taken to a field hospital and patched up ready to fight. It was routine, find as many of your own before the other side did. He swore his heart stopped when he saw her lying there. She couldn't be dead, she wasn't allowed to die before him. His heart started beating again when he heard a gurgled laugh from her. She was expecting to die. Walking as swiftly as he could to her he bent beside her to look at the damage. A bone-breaker curse. He would have to cast some healing spells or she wouldn't last long enough for any of her people to find her. He saw the surprise in her eyes as he picked her up as gently as he could and began to walk towards her side of the lines. After he reached a spot he knew was frequented by the soldiers of the opposite camp he set her down and began to tend to her as she had tended to him. She would not die. Not if he had anything to do with it.

"Draco?" came the whispered question. He lowered his hood and saw her body relax as she made out his features. After he finished healing her as best he could he let her rest against his chest. An hour passed by in easy silence as she attempted to recover her strength, then he heard the sounds of feet on the path ahead. "You will be safe now," he said to her. He held her close for a second, trying to imprint the feel of her onto his body, before laying her on the ground and dissapparating back to his camp. That was the last he had seen of her until now.

Waking from a surprisingly pleasant dream, he heard her whisper in his ear, "Go back to sleep, Draco."

Pulling her down so their foreheads touched on the pillow, he mused again at the impossibility of his situation. One day they would be caught, of that he was sure, and whoever found them would make sure the other suffered dearly. If the Death Eaters found them they would both be killed. If the Order found them he would be killed and Hermione most likely imprisoned. Either way they were damned. But he didn't care, because it was moments like these, when he could lie peacefully in her arms and she in his, that he truly understood what they had. An Unspoken Bond.


	3. Chapter 3

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**An Unspokon Bond, Chapter 3**

Two weeks had passed. Two blissful weeks in which no-one had bothered them and they had talked and laughed their way through the days. But it had to come to an end, they both knew that. Tomorrow Tonks was coming to escort Hermione back to Headquarters and Draco had to go and report back to his master. It was likely the last time they would see each other before the end.

Hermione lay on her side on the massive bed and was watching the gentle rise and fall of her bedmate's chest. He looked so innocent while he was sleeping; as though he could never have done the many things she knew he had. She smiled sadly, it had to end. The last big battle was coming. Everyone from both sides could feel it in the air. The next one would be the last. And there were still no promise of who would win, but it didn't matter, she would be hurt either way. What a situation, she thought, with Draco Malfoy of all people.

Shifting closer she laid her hand above his heart and felt it's steady beating. He shifted in his sleep, turning on his side and pulling her to him with pale, strong arms. Settling her head where her hand had been a minute ago she tried in vain to chase the thoughts from her mind. But they would not go away, too big and powerful to be ignored. She traced his side with her fingertips, she was always amazed at how soft his skin was; like a baby's. He made a sleepy sound and shifted slightly, trying to get away from the tickling fingers. She giggled and continued her efforts to wake him up. Draco opened one eyes and attempted to remove her fingers in vain. Groaning he turned his head fully into the pillow, "Go back to sleep woman,"

"Woman, Woman!" cried Hermione in a mock-angry voice, "How dare you, you...man!"

Spining around quickly, he nearly knocked her off the bed, he lay atop her and pinned her wrists above her head. A slow smile of satisfaction crossed his face "Yes, woman, my favourite one at that," he said laughingly.

Knowing full well she couldn't move, not that she wanted to, she replied," What, I beat Pansy to the top of Draco Malfoy's favourite people list? I am honoured"

"Pansy wouldn't even get on that list, as you know full well, she drives me mad with her constant talk. Oh Draco, doesn't this dress look nice? Oh Draco can you buy me those lovely pearls that only cost a hundred thousand? Oh Draco do you think I should have some breast-enhancing charms?"

Hermione burst into peals of laughter, his impression of Pansy' high, whiny voice was spot on. "Did she really ask you if you thought she should get breast-enhancing charms done?" she asked incredulously.

"I tell you no lies Mione, I nearly spat out the wine I was drinking at the time. Of course she wanted the money for those charms from yours truly," he replied though his laughter.

Hermione doubled laughed so hard she cried at the thought of perfect, polished Draco almost spitting out his wine. After their hilarity had died down they lay wrapped up in each others arms for a while. The little interlude had chased away her dark thoughts, but now they were back, and she knew she would have to tell him now or she would never do it.

Sitting up, she untangled herself from his arms and sat cross legged on the bed looking down at her pink pajamas nervously.

"Draco, we need to talk," she said seriously.

Sensing the suddden change in her mood he sat up as well and looked at her intently, taking in her fidgeting and panicky eyes. "About what?" he asked slowly.

Gathering up her courage she willed back the tears that treacherously welled in her eyes. This had to be done, for both of them. "We need to end this Draco, we can't see each other anymore, ever." she said softly. This time she had to close her eyes to keep the tears from spilling over as she waited for his reaction.

Draco was stunned. He couldn't find any words for a few minutes, which was unheard of from him. When he finally spoke it was with a underlying hint of anger, "What?"

She winced inwardly as she heard the anger in his voice. This was going to hurt him just as much as it was hurting her, but it had to happen. "We can't see each other anymore, this has to be the last time." she said, as strongly and steadly as she could manage.

Draco flew off the bed. How dare she do this to him. Didn't she know how much this hurt him. How he heard those words in his worst nightmares. That she no longer wanted him, no longer felt anything for him. "Why, why now, what have I done wrong?" he screamed at her. All he could see was that he was losing the only thing good and pure in his life. "After all we've shared, all we've done for each other, how can you just sit there and tell me cooly that you're abandoning me"

She felt her heart break at the sheer pain in his voice, "It has to be this way, don't you see?" she tried pleading with him.

"No, I don't," he hissed, before stalking to the window and turning his back to her. Leaning his head on the cool pane he tried to think what he had done to make her hurt him so badly. Surely after three years she couldn't just drop him like a piece of trash. He, Draco Malfoy, was dropped by no-one. Turning to face her he tried, and failed, to keep the pain out of his voice, "Why, until you give me an explaination as to why, you are not leaving."

Standing up she moved towards him and laid her hand on his arm, wincing when he jerked away. "Why can't you see I'm not trying to hurt you Draco," she started softly "I'm trying to protect you."

His head shot up and he spat, "Protect me, by breaking my heart?" Moving away from her he paced the room like a caged lion. "How can you possibly protect me by telling me I can never see you again?" he asked angrily.

She was crying softly as she started to explain, "Draco, why can't you see I don't want to hurt you? But you know as well as I do that the fate of our world will be decided in the next few weeks. We will be torn apart whoever wins. If my side wins you will be executed as a war criminal. If your side wins, then I will be tortured and killed as a Muggle-born and because I'm Harry's friend. We could both be killed in the final battle, us more than most, because we have people from each side gunning for us. If I don't have time to collect myself together, I'll never be able to let you go. I need time to steel myself for what is to come, and I know you do too,"

She reached out to him and placed her hand on his cheek, feeling the wetness that indicated he was crying, "Draco, if Voldemort ever finds out about me, he'll kill you as well as me. I've seen what he has done to you when he was even the slightest bit displeased with you. If he ever finds out that you see me regularly he'll use the worst torture he knows on you and I can't bear the thought of it. Before I was able to live with it because you were safer than the rest in his inner circle, but now is the time when everything will come out." she sobbed, tears now streaming thickly down her face, "I can't watch you die, Draco. It will kill me. If I don't die, you will. One of us won't come out of this alive, whoever wins." she ended softly covering her face with her hands and sinking to the floor.

Draco sank down beside her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap and sobbing into her hair even as she sobbed into his chest. What she said was true. One of them, if not both would die in the final battle. They had both hid from it but it was finally here, and they couldn't ignore it. Why did it have to hurt so much. But he would do this, for her. If she needed space, he would give her it. If she needed time to steel herself, he would give her that as well. He knew if his side won she would die; and it was killing him inside.

"Hermione, you won't die, not if I can help it. Even if my side wins I'll protect you to my last breath, don't bother trying to dissuade me, it won't work. You've protected me over the years, if my side wins, I'll protect you. I'll find you somewhere they will never find you, I won't let them lay their hands on you." he said brokenly.

"Drac...", He cut her off by placing a finger over her lips, "Promise me, you must promise me that if you win you won't try and protect me from my punishment if I'm captured. You have already given me so much. You must not sabotage your own future by defending me. Please promise me, this one thing, promise", he had taken her by the shoulders as he made his speech and was shaking her slightly.

She shook her head mutely. How could she, it would kill her. "I already told you I can't watch you die," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding tightly. "You have no idea how much you mean to me, even I have only realised over these last weeks how much I really care for you, so don't ask me to stand by while they kill you, I won't."

"Hermione please, I care for you as much as you do for me, if you really care for me you will promise me this. Don't throw your life away for me, I'm not worth it," his strong voice was breaking as he spoke. He clung to her tightly, willing her to put his mind at rest.

Realising he was not about to give up she made a promise she knew she would never keep, "Alright, I promise."

Cradling her to his chest he carried her back to the bed. Cocconing them both in the covers he whispered to her, "One last night?"

"Yes, one last night," she said sadly as she snuggled into his warm body. "I love you, Draco," she whispered softly in his ear.

"I love you too, Mione," he whispered back. Closing his eyes he tried to imprint everything from this night on his memory. Her soft body against his, the smell of her hair, the way her breath tickeled his throat, the way she held him. This was the last time he would ever hold her, the first and only time he would be able to tell her he loved her. "I love you, no matter what happens, you are the only one who has been able to see me for who I really am, not what I have done"

"I'll never forget, just as you must never forget I love you," she stroked his hair as she said this. Closing her eyes she was content to lay in his arms for the last time. No matter that they had to part in the morning, now was for them.

A Spoken Bond had passed between them.


	4. Chapter 4

The battlefield stretched out over a field with forest to either side. It was a horrible day, rainclouds hanging in the sky as the two armies lined up on opposite sides of the field. Hermione refused to believe it was anything other than Voldemort's doing that they were having to fight in the rain. Harry stood beside her, solid as a rock. She knew though, he was terrified inside. They had spent the last few nights sitting up talking and she knew he was scared of failing everyone by not killing Voldemort. Poor Harry, he had had to go through more than anyone else would ever go through in their lives at only nineteen. She would be here for him till the end, she owed him that.

This was it. The final battle of their time. The one that would decide everything, everyone knew it. There was a sense of dread in the air, but there was also courage. She could see it in the faces of every single person as she looked down the ranks. Never had she been so proud to fight with such brave witches and wizards. Shifting her gaze back to the enemy lines she thought of another who she hoped would make it through today. She had stuck to her promise and not seen him in the month since she had said she needed time to steel herself. She only hoped it was enough. Oh Draco, I need to see you one last time, was her final thought before the battle begun.

Draco stood in the circle before his master as they were givien their final orders before the battle begun. As soon as they were finished he walked quickly back to the squadron he was commanding into battle. Looking out across the field he could see the army of Harry Potter. They were a direct contrast to the army he was standing in now. They shone with light whilst he was blackness personified. Adopting the perfect Malfoy mask he waited calmly for the battle to begin. This was the end, whoever won this battle would win the war. Only the complete destruction of either Potter or Voldemort would tell which side victory belonged too.

He missed her. So much it was a physical pain in his body. These last few weeks had been some of the worst in his life, so used he was to having her there for him. She loved him, it was the only thought that stopped him from turning up at her doorstep every night since he had left her four weeks ago. She loved him and he loved her. He had to respect she needed time to steel herself for this battle. But Gods, how he had needed her. Gazing to where he knew she would be standing he whispered to the wind, "Stay safe my love" hoping it would drift across to her and comfort her in these last few tense moments. Seconds later the cry rang out for the charge.

Blasting a hole straight through the Death Eater in front of her Hermione surged forward with the rest of her team. Their job was to clear the way for Harry so he could get to Voldemort. She was going to make sure they did a damn good job of it.

"Hermione!" came a cry from her right. Charlie Weasley appeared beside her, his face covered in blood and grime, "We need to move faster, we're losing too many of the team" he yelled above the din.

Nodding to him she signaled to her team to pick up the pace. Turning sharply to avoid a hex she tripped over a body laying on the ground. Coughing the mud out of her mouth she staggered to her feet and saw the body was none other than that of Luna Lovegood, with half her face blown off.

Gagging she ran quickly after her team and took up place as some of the more experienced Death Eaters in Voldemort's circle saw what they were trying to do and launched a full out attack on them. Cursing left and right she tried to keep herself upright for fear of been killed by the soogy mud below. Suffocating was not how she planned to go. Spinning to her left she came face to face with Antonin Dolohov, the man who had tried to kill her in the Department of Mysteries.

"Well if it isn't the filthy little Mudblood, I'll enjoy killing you," he hissed at her. His faced alight with the prospect.

"Not as much as I'll enjoy killing you!" she spat back before raising her wand as their duel began in earnest.

Flanking McNair, Draco drove into the small group of the enemy that had managed to breach the circle around his Lord. As McNair took down two wizards with one curse, Draco yelled, "Avada Kedrava," at a young woman who he realised to be Lavender Brown after the green light had faded. Stupid girl, he thought, did she honestly believe that they would manage to break through all the lines of Death Eaters that protected his Lord. Voldemort had known that the Light Side would be concentrating most of their attack on him, so he had kept most of his inner circle back to act as a personal guard.

Beating back the last few who were alive he retreated to his place in the line and yelled orders for the first defense line to regroup and fall back. Moving up and down the line he gave shouted commands and made short work of anyone who got in his way. He quickly became involved in a duel with Neville Longbottom, who proved to be a tougher opponent that he had first thought. He was still no match for the dark curses Draco threw at him. Steping over Longbottom's lifeless body his attention was attracted to where the line was being pushed back to a dangerous extent. Ther seemed to be a pincer movement being employed by the Light Side and it was very effective. Snarling dangerously he called to any Death Eaters who could be spared from this point of the line and ran to where the heaviest fighting was taking place.

Hermione clutched her injured arm tightly to her chest. Her duel with Dolohov had ended with her taking a serious curse to the arm. She had only managed to escape because his Avada Kedrava had bounced of a shield charm behind her and killed him instead. Panting hard she tried to block out the screams of the dying and wounded as she ran to where their pincer movement was almost breaking through the Death Eater lines. Throwing herself into the thick of it she took down as many people as she could, praying that Harry was alright and having more luck than she trying to reach Voldemort. She hadn't seen Draco at any time in the battle and she didn't know if this was a good thing or something to be worried about. Keeping her eyes peeled for a silver blonde head she moved to help Ginny repel three Death Eaters that had taken a liking to her.

"Thanks," she heard Ginny scream to her over the riot.

"Welcome," she yelled back, "Push forward," she cried to the tiring members of the Order. She could see the Death Eater's line was stretched to breaking point.

Hearing the sound of many running feet she spun round and felt her blood run cold as she saw an influx of Death Eaters running to enforce the breaking line. They arrived just as the Order broke through and all Hell broke loose. If she thought the fighting had been manic before now, it was nothing compared to this. Many of the Order were facing their most hated enemies from years past and where she was quickly became the most dangerous place on the battlefield, which many of the young members from both sides avoided. The sheer hatred was palpable in the air. Narrowly ducking a curse she aimed one of her own at the culprit. The hooded figure fell and she could make out the features of Crabbe senior.

Her heart stopped beating as she caught sight of the one she had dreaded and hoped to see. His wand was waving furiously as he took down anyone who came within five feet of him. He looked like fallen angel from the story books she had read when she was younger. His blond hair was dyed red with blood and his face bore many scratches and bloody cuts. She was so enraptured at looking at him she almost missed the curse that was aimed at her, moving at the last possible second.

Jumping back towards the treeline she saw it was Bellatrix Lestrange who had attacked her. The woman's eyes were gleaming madly as she laughed mockingly at Hermione.

"What's the matter Mudblood? Can't handle a real witch? Let us see how you stand up against the Dark Lord's most faithful servant." Bellatrix hissed, launching herself at Hermione.

As she warded off Bellatix's attacks her gaze was drawn to Harry. He was moving swiftly throught the corridor the Order had created for him. She knew she had to keep the woman's attention. If she saw Harry she would go straight for him and that would lose them precious time. She had lost sight of Draco in the madness, she only hoped he was alive.

"Dark Lord? You do know he's only a Half-Blood right? Or has he hid that from you all, does he have you all believing he's a Pureblood?" she spat at the dark-haired woman, echoing Harry's word from years ago.

Bellatrix's reaction was as predictable now as it was then. "How dare you speak of my master that way, you are not fit to look at him you filthy Mudblood." she screamed, her eyes going black with rage. Her curse pushed Hermione back into the trees themselves as she fended of the evil hexes from the manical woman.

Hurry Harry, she whispered in her head, I can't hold her off much longer and I need to see Draco again.

Only his extensive training prevented Draco from stopping dead in the middle of fighting as he caught sight of Hermione amongst the attackers. Feeling of relief coursed through him, she was alive, but for how long? His attention was brought back fully as an enraged Weasly twin threw himself at at him. The duel was long and hard, he was expending most of his energy just stopping the twin's curses hitting him. A well placed "Sectumsempra" brought him down. The duel had taken enough of his time that Hermione had dissapeared. He cursed loudly and made his way to the edge of the fighting. Spotting Potter making his way almost unchallenged throught he ranks made him turn. If he took down Potter or at least wounded him that would be a great help to his Lord. As he took the first step towards him he glimpsed his aunt from the corner of his eye. He stopped when he saw who she was dueling with. Hermione was obviously wounded and seemed to be having trouble warding off Bella's attacks. His decsion was made in a split second, there was no contest. He ran towards them as they vanished into the trees.

She had no strength to repel the last attack from Bellatrix and she fell to the floor screaming under the pain of the cruciatus curse. Through her fogged mind she could hear the woman's insane laughter but it wasn't long before all she could concentrate on was the pain, and the life leaving her body. Forgive me Draco, please forgive me was all she could think.

Bursting into the clearing Draco's first sight was that of his only love lying on the ground dying. The words were out of his mouth before he had time to think about them. As his Aunt's body crumpled to the ground he fell to the ground beside her picking her up in his arms and willing her to open her eyes.

Hermione was on the verge of passing out when the pain stopped. She felt herself being moved and her body protested by sending shocks of pain through her. Gasping she opened her eyes and cried out in pain. She was shocked at the person holding her. It was like that day almost a year ago when he had found her lying on a battlefield, only this time she would not be getting out of this alive. She hoped he was not a delusion.

"Draco?" she asked tentively, her voice hoarse from screaming. She lifted a shaking hand to his bowed head and laid it on his bloodsoaked hair.

He clasped her hand in his, "Hermione, I'm so sorry, I should have been here sooner, forgive me love." he cradled her even closer, his hold tight but gentle. He knew just as well as she that she was dying.

"No Draco," she crooned gently, "It wasn't your fault, we both knew the chance we took fighting in this battle."

"Please don't leave Mione, don't leave me alone." he begged, pressing his cheek to her forehead. He knew this was the end and suddenly it didn't seem to matter who won. Her side, his. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that the only thing he loved in the world was leaving him.

"I'm sorry love, I shouldn't have stayed away from you these last few weeks, it was selfish of me." she smiled softly at him, the blood leaking from her lips an all too clear sign their time was growing short.

He shook his head, "No, never apologise to me," he said as his voice broke. Tears spilled from his eyes despite how hard he tried to keep them back.

"Draco, we both knew one of us would not survive this." she said. Bringing her other arm up she stroked his face lightly. Her voice was faint as she whispered, "Kiss me love."

He tried to put as much love as he could into that one single kiss as he lowered her lips to hers softly. He felt his tears mingle with hers freely as they shared their first and last kiss. When he drew back she had a smile on her lips, but the life had left her body.

He howled his grief and pain to the wind as the first drops of rain spilled from the clouds. The sky mourning the loss of one of the greatest witches ever to live. He buried his face in her still warm neck and sobbed his heartache out as his heart was torn apart in his chest. It was not meant to be her, never her. She did not deserve to die, unlike him whose soul was so corrupted he would have gladly died in her place. He did not now how long he sat there, but it was the rising cheer from the Light Side that alerted him to the fact that the battle had been won by them.

He reverently placed a gentle kiss on her lips before standing up to accept his fate. He knew from the footsteps approaching that he only had a few minutes before he was taken in. He didn't try to run, what was the point. He closed his eyes and pushed back his grief into a small part of his mind. Squaring himself he stood up straight, masking his face to be as emotionless as possible and waited.

Barely three minutes later Ron Weasley broke through the trees flanked by four other members of the Order. Taking one look at the dead body of Hermione on the ground he turned to Draco, eyes flashing with pain. His voice was filled with loathing as he spoke, "Draco Lucius Malfoy, you are under arrest by the order of.."

Draco mind simply filltered out the red head's voice from there. He didn't really care what the Weasel had to say. He would be dead in a few days and that was all he needed to know. Wait for me love, I'll join you as soon as I may, he thought as he was lead away.

A month later Draco Lucius Malfoy, Son of Lucius Abraxas Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy was sentenced to death charged with the crimes of genocide and treason. He never uttered a word throughout his trial, even as he walked to the room where his execution was to take place he was silent. The witnesses present all swore they saw a smile cross his face as the green light flashed towards him.

There are some bonds in life that transcend death, and cannot be broken.


End file.
